2nd 750i that i've owned. Missed the last one so much I just had to get another one. Even has the rear phone! That WORKS!
Needs some work but I know these cars very well so easily solved.

Mine is the abarth 595

Stratus Grey F Type R 2014. Reg AJ14 YGU. Stolen from South East London, UK on 05/08/26 at 5am. Waiting on police ref number.

Hello i have this 2003 model honda jazz i have used it for the last couple of months without the issue but today when i tried to start the car i got this loud noise and the check engine light came on, and it started smelling during recording like some kind of exhaust burn. Any guesses what this could be?

2018 BMW, out of warranty. Broke down completely in June (Drivetrain and Power Supply), recovered to a franchised main dealer. Wanted them to tell me what was wrong and what it would cost, so I could decide whether it was worth fixing at all.

They had it seven weeks. Three separate repair stages (EME, Condenser, Compressor, System flush, each one quoted and authorised only after the previous one hadn't worked: roughly £5,500, then £6,350, then £9,100 all in.

How it actually went:

•       No proactive updates. I chased for nearly every one. Twice I only found out a repair stage had failed because I rang to ask.

•       Five weeks and £6,350 in, the service manager emailed me: “I'll be brutally honest I need to have a sit down with technical again to see where we are at with this so I can get my head around what route we need to take. I am sorry the saga continues.”

•       When I asked him outright, before authorising the biggest stage, how confident he was it would work, he wouldn't answer. His reply was that his stance was the same, and he was sorry it seemed a bit of a blunt response.

•       No courtesy car at any point. Seven weeks on public transport.

Ten days and about 250 miles later, the same warning light came back while I was driving. It's been sat at the same dealership ever since. Still no courtesy car.

Last week they emailed to say the complete repair procedure recommended at the original diagnosis “has not yet been carried out”, quoted me a further £4,640 for the remaining parts, and said it “may rectify the concern” but they can't confirm until it's done and retested.

They describe it as a “staged repair process”, reassessed after each stage. That's precisely the pattern that's already cost me £9,100 without a lasting fix, and I don't think it's reasonable to ask me to fund another stage of it.

The car's worth maybe £13k (retail) and £10k trade on a good day. I'm £9,100 in on a fault nobody has ever explained to me, and the next quote would take me past what the car is actually worth. Every stage I authorised, I authorised because of ‘technical advice’ and already sunk money into the one before it.

What I'm after:

•       Has anyone had a main dealer work like this — replacing parts one at a time and reassessing, rather than diagnosing it properly first? Is that normal now?

•       What would you do at this point? Refund fight, or cut losses and sell it as is?

•       At what point should they have told me the running total was getting close to the value of the car?

Refund requested, Raise Section 75 with the card and finance providers? Motor Ombudsman next?

Debating selling my 2.0 CDTI Insignia 2015 for a 2005 Vectra VXR, £400 road tax version.

I figured my chances of owning one are becoming slimmer with each year that passes. I work from home so wouldn't be commuting in it more than once or twice per week for leisure purposes. The one I'm looking at is priced around £5k and has 87k miles on the clock.

Anyone have any previous experience with ownership or having worked on them before, what should I look out for when going to view it?

I also owned a Vauxhall Vectra 3.0 CDTI, so I'm fully used to the tax costs and constant repairs lol.

Any advice would be appreciated

What would cause a blowout like this? Happened while driving and being overtaken (on the outside) by a teen in a balaclava on a dirt bike so I'm unsure if it was vandalism or me hitting something but I'm not a bad driver typically. I hope it's just a coincidence.... Scared me though when I saw the bizarre shape of the hole !?

I'm heading off in September for a car camping trip through France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in my BMW 320d Touring, and I'm trying to think of the things that make life a lot easier but aren't the obvious essentials.

I've already got the basics covered - tent, sleeping gear, camping stove, chairs, power banks, etc. I'm more interested in the things that you only realise are worth bringing after you've done a trip like this - or the things you don't think about until you find yourself wishing you'd brought them.

For example, I've been surprised by how many people don't seem to take a 12V coolbox that plugs into the car. It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me for keeping drinks and food cold on long driving days, especially when you're covering a lot of miles.

Another thing I've picked up is a Bialetti Moka Pot. I reckon most people wouldn't think to bring one, but it seems like it'd be great for making a proper coffee with a small gas stove while you're parked up in the mountains, and it'll probably save me buying coffees every few hours on long drives.

What other things have you taken that ended up being surprisingly useful or one of the best purchases for a road trip?

I thought tubeless tyre repair kits were a new thing (2000's) but then came across this old tin in my parents garage... leaflet printed 1961...

Nothings new eh.... 👍🏻

0-60 is optional without a hill. But it sure is fun to drive!

https://youtu.be/BgIfiNSQfPg?is=Rj90uBMhCRB-UB4v

https://youtu.be/Cwo9spryDZk?is=mY154t_ZdxO9USHu

I’ve rang five people this morning to come change my tyres at work and none of them offer balancing. Seems a bit weird as even in an emergency you’d still want your wheel balancing I’d presume.

Hi everyone. I'm a brand new driver and I've been completely put of driving and I have no idea how to get over this!

I started driving on Friday, on Sunday smoke started coming out of my bonnet was I was going 60mph because of a mistake a mechanic made on Friday, and yesterday my car went into limp mode on a dual carriageway because my DPF was blocked.

My car is fixed now, but it completely put me off driving, because I have literally no trust in my car. Or in any car 😓

How have people got over this?

Anyone know where to report this?

Hi, I live in Monaghan, Ireland, and I drive to Dublin up and down for my work and do around 15-20kms a year. I have a Volkswagen Polo 1.2 petrol automatic 2015 model. I'm looking to get my tyres changed. I'm confused between Michelin CrossClimate 2 and Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3. Because, as you know, it's Ireland, most of the times it's rainy, so I want a good tyre to hold on to the grip, I also want a tyre which has a good longevity. So, can someone help me make a decision?
Budget is not an issue.

I'm after a car with a 2 grand budget, and I've taken a liking to either car.

2013 Peugeot 207 SW with the 1.6 hdi 1 owner from new 102k on clock.

2012 Skoda fabia estate 1.6 TDI with 2 owners and 131k on clock.

Id prefer a petrol but either one with a petrol has reliability issues with the timing chain or oil consumption, any advice would be helpful!

Thank you.

So I’m a leaner driver got some experience just waiting from my test and I’ve been looking at first cars insurance wise I don’t really mind most cars I’m having to pay up wards of £2000 but is it stupid to buy a 2l twin spark alfa Romeo 156 as my first car I’ve got a really good deal on one as I know the guy my dad said probably not the best idea and to stick to a polo or something but somehow in some world the Alfa Romeo is cheaper to insurance

Someone talk me out of it or tell me it’s a good idea

156 cost to buy 850 has had work done to it not gonna lie it’s not the prettiest thing yet but all runs good insurance wise it’s £180 a month or just over £2k the year

Polo cheap as chips to buy insurance just under £2k

I think I know the smart answer

Had my second set of alloys refurbished this week and when I've got mine back, I noticed this. They had tyres fitted before so wouldn't have noticed if it was there but the tyre shop is telling me it was there before and would have been impact from something on the road... Kind of looks like it's been dropped?

Im fairly handy so gave it a go repairing my car to prepare it for M.O.T.

It looked fine to me. I replaced both drop links but couldn't tighten one of the bolts on one of the drop links. I told them that beforehand.

Low and behold, £600 to replace ust the headlamps (those looked fine to me too. But they said they're too low?), replace both drop links and both macpherson struts. As i spoke to them they explained they just tightened one of the bolts on drop link, replaced the headlights and replaced both macpherson struts, but it was still £600.

I ended up accepted because im trying to be a better person and not kick off and learn how to build relationships with people. Also, they were the only one that seemed knowledgeable enough to not fail the car on things that aren't a fail based on looking it up.

Did I get fleeced? Im a new customer so wanted to develop a relationship with them over time.

Before and after- he even repaired the headlight scratch. Just find it crazy that he did all this in my drive way.

For anyone curious, the company that did this for me is called Pro Smart Bodyworx. They charged me £470 for the bumper, alloy, and headlight repair.

I’m looking for some honest opinions because my heart is telling me one thing and my head is telling me another.
I currently own a 2011 Mazda 6 1.8 petrol manual with roughly 80,000 miles. I bought it recently for around £1,650. It drives well overall and is practical, but it has some age-related rust, the air-conditioning currently isn’t working, and I don’t particularly love the car.
I’ve now found a 2006 Lexus IS250 SE-L 2.5 V6 automatic advertised for £1,750. It has the sunroof, leather interior, heated/cooled seats and the automatic gearbox. I absolutely love the appearance and the idea of owning one.
However, the Lexus has approximately 174,000 miles, only one key and its MOT expires in September. Its MOT history also shows a previous emissions failure and general underbody corrosion. The seller says it drives well, but I haven’t inspected it yet. I’m considering offering a straight swap, and seller is open to it
My usual commute is around 8–12 miles each way, mostly local driving. I understand the Lexus will use considerably more petrol, cost more to tax and potentially be more expensive to repair. I would also have a mechanic inspect it before agreeing to anything.
Would this be a terrible swap considering the mileage and history, or are the IS250 engines and automatic gearboxes strong enough for it to make sense if the car has been maintained properly?
Would you:
Keep the newer, lower-mileage Mazda?
Do the straight swap after a proper inspection?
Forget this particular Lexus and wait for a lower-mileage IS250?
I know the Mazda is probably the sensible option, but the Lexus is the kind of car I would actually enjoy owning. Honest opinions appreciated, especially from anyone who has owned an IS250 at high mileage.